A scuffle on Monday broke out between AAP supporters and policemen outside Rail Bhawan where Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was holding a dharna along with six ministers demanding action against policemen who refused to raid an alleged drug and prostitution racket last week.
The incident occurred when police disconnected Mr. Kejriwal’s audio system prompting angry response from the AAP supporters.
The police pushed some of the supporters when they tried to break barricades.
In the evening, a number of AAP leaders including Sanjay Singh and former journalist Ashutosh were seen having heated arguments with police for allegedly beating a number of their supporters including Model Town MLA Akhilesh Tripathi.
They also claimed that Transport Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj had been detained by police, which denied it.
In a tweet, Mr. Kejriwal said Mr. Tripathi was beaten up by the police “brutally”. An AAP leader said Mr. Tripathi had to be admitted to a hospital.
Leave of Delhi Police personnel cancelled
The Centre cancelled the leave of all Delhi Police personnel in view of coming Republic Day function and deployed around 4,000 personnel for the sit-in protest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
“A huge burden on Delhi police at this sensitive time. All leaves are cancelled, definitely don’t need abuse and diversions at this time,” Minister of State for Home R.P.N. Singh wrote in microblogging site Twitter.
The leave was cancelled to provide foolproof security in the run up to and during the coming Republic Day function, he said.
Mr. Singh said around 4,000 security personnel have been deployed in and around the site of dharnas of Kejriwal.
“If CM (is) serious about safety of Delhi, let these cops go back to policing,” Mr. Singh said.
Rail Bhawan dharna
Earlier on Monday, in an unprecedented face-off with the Centre, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday began a dharna in front of Rail Bhawan calling himself an “anarchist” and asking “honest” police officials to take leave and join his protest demanding action against some of their colleagues.
Defying prohibitory orders in force in the high-security area near the seat of power, Mr. Kejriwal accompanied by six of his ministers, came down hard on the Centre for the current situation arising from their demand for action against officials who refused to raid an alleged drug and prostitution racket in an area in South Delhi.
“Some people are saying that I am an anarchist. I am spreading disorder. I agree I am an anarchist. Today, I will create anarchy for Shinde,” he said in an impromptu address to his party MLAs and supporters at the dharna site from where police asked him to shift to nearby Jantar Mantar.
He asked honest officials among the police force to take leave and join him in the agitation demanding Delhi police be brought under his government, a demand rejected by Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde.
The 45-year-old Mr. Kejriwal said he has come prepared to stage dharna for at least 10 days and would continue the agitation further if need be.
Earlier in the morning, Mr. Kejriwal along with his supporters attempted to go to North Block housing the Home Ministry to lodge their protest. However, they were stopped near the Rail Bhavan as the nearby Vijay Chowk and the entire Rajpath were sealed for the Republic Day rehearsal that was going
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